Mingling around at the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco (a welcome newcomer in the top 10 of the healthcare event calendar according to industry insiders), one can’t help but feel inspired by this new movement that is emerging in the healthcare sector. ‘User generated healthcare’ promises to bring together content and transactions in a user-friendly way. Increased availability of data and today’s 2.0 tools (mobile devices, social networks, widgets, online events etc) provide a significant opportunity to create unprecedented engagement and conversation between patients, clinicians and (the much demonized) insurers and biopharma companies. With patients increasingly demanding to be heard and empowered (rightly so, since we pay for it all!!), 2.0 is precipitating a momentous power shift in the healthcare sector. Not only will patients be better educated on diseases and have a say in their own treatments or doctors, but they will be able to take charge of their own ‘preventative medicine’ journey and diagnose themselves using mobile and web applications and technologies. This will change the patient/healthcare provider/insurer/supplier landscape and one can only hope that ‘the system’ will put its weight behind this momentum and not stifle it as it has so often done in the past.
Speaking of which, the FDA is holding public hearings on social-media use – they’re being as open-minded as they’re heavy-handed when it comes to enforcing regulations under the new administration. The question on everyone’s mind is how you create the traditional delineations in this new (uncontrollable) conversational landscape. What are the liability considerations and what is fair play, what isn’t…my question is how this Health 2.0 movement will change the marketing landscape in pharma. I’m having some very interesting conversations with leading marketers in the world’s largest biopharmas, insurers as well as doctors and patients and will definitely be putting together a round table grilling on the subject. Stay tuned.
